Strengths

The ability to attach files (Word, Excel, or PDF files) to records or transactions

Broadcast-invoice feature - create and send a single invoice to multiple customers

Ability to set up to five decimal points to inventory quantities and unit price fields

Brief Product Description and Pricing

The rebranding of the Peachtree and Simply Accounting lines for Sage 50 does not mean simply a change of name on the box. As with other products such as Sage 100 ERP and Sage 300 ERP, there are new enhancements and additional features included as well as impressive new service levels. Some of the features users will appreciate the most include the Sage Business Care benefit, Expanded Amount, and Currency Field Lengths and Sage 50 Business Intelligence Enhancements.

With the release of Sage 50 Accounting 2013, all new customers get Sage Business Care as part of their purchase. The first year of the service is included with the purchase of their product. New customers include anyone who purchases Sage 50 through these channels.

Retail

E-tail (e.g., Amazon)

E-store (Sage’s web store)

New Product Sales (direct from Sage)

Solution Providers (partners, CCs)

Sage Business Care does not come with Sage 50 First Accounting 2013 and is not included for new customers who purchase older versions of the software.

What’s Included with Sage Business Care for New Customers Sage wraps powerful accounting and business management features with Sage Business Care, an auto-renewing service plan that provides unlimited access to support and automatically delivers upgrades, and more. Customers get ongoing service and support they can trust while reducing the time, effort, and cost of operating their business.

Sage Business Care for new customers includes the benefits listed below.

Unlimited access to customer support

Product upgrades and updates

Sage 50 Business Intelligence (including Sage 50 Pro)

Dedicated Account Manager

Quarterly webcast series (new addition)

How Sage Business Care for New Customers WorksSimilar to Sage 50 Quantum, when new customers purchase Sage 50 Accounting with a credit card, they are automatically enrolled in Sage Business Care. They are notified that Sage Business Care is auto-renewing and that they will be notified prior to the service being renewed. They also have the option to cancel. This process applies to all channels except retail and e-tail.

Retail/e-tail customers will follow instructions for activating their software and then will be required to call Sage in order to activate their Sage Business Care service plan. Although no charge will appear on the credit card, if a retail customer does not provide a credit card number to Sage, then the Sage Business Care plan is not active.

Sage 50 is intended to be a customer product release. This means the solutions are readily available from traditional retail outlets and that the software is designed for the user to be able to install and work with the product with minimal, if any, outside technical assistance. We do caution, however, that setting an accounting solution up from scratch is rarely a simple task. With quality of service implications, possible tax repercussions, and the need for a small business owner to have solid, easy to read and understand financials, it is worthwhile to have a professional accountant assist you in the creation of a Chart of Accountants, to set up banking and reporting requirements, and particularly to help you with payroll, payables, and receivables. When set up properly the first time, Sage 50 can help you more effectively manage and run your business.

Expanded Amount and Currency Field Lengths This feature provides you with the ability to record amounts up to $99,999,999,999,999.00000 on transaction screens, list views, dashboards, reports, forms, account register and the maintain inventory item history tab screen. This is perfect for companies that use currencies other than the U.S. dollar or for those businesses that track large quantities of small inventory items that require more than two digits to the right of the decimal place for reporting accuracy.

Sage 50 Business Intelligence Enhancements Sage Connected Service)Enhancements to Sage 50 Business Intelligence let customers spend more time gaining insight from their information and less time exporting data and formatting it into something they can use. The enhancements include the following items.

Windows 2003 or 2008 Server along with Remote Desktop Connection or Remote Desktop Web Connection client is required to run in a Windows Terminal Services environment. No more than 5 named users are allowed.

Terminal Server requires additional memory when more than one user is running under Windows Terminal.

Internet connectivity necessary for program updates and some other features

Integration with Accounting and Ease of Setup

For most tasks, Sage 50 does not require users to understand standard accounting procedures. Most transactions are recorded using on-line screens that closely resemble paper-based forms such as invoices or checks. The product is very easy to install and can be installed by the end user without technical support or a professional accountant in most cases.

Company History and Contact Information

Sage 50 represents several entry and small to medium business solutions owned by Sage and consolidated under the company’s rebranding and consolidation efforts in early 2012. Sage 50 includes both the Peachtree product line and its Canadian counterpart, Simply Accounting. More detailed product information can be found online at www.sagenorthamerica.com, or the product may be purchased from local retailers and office supply businesses.

Reviewed Products

The information provided herein is not warranted in anyway and is subject to change without notice.
We recommend that you confirm information contained herein with the appropriate manufacturer or reseller.

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